As the state increasingly confronts climate-related challenges, the consultation marked an important step toward building an agriculture system grounded in soil health, ecological balance, and resilient farmer livelihoods.
18th November 2025, Pune- Maharashtra advanced its commitment to sustainable agriculture through a high-level State Consultation on Natural Farming, bringing together policymakers, scientists, innovative farmers, certification experts, market representatives, and implementing agencies to shape a unified strategy for scaling natural and residue-free farming across the state.
The consultation was jointly convened under the Hon. Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART) Project, Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA), and Maharashtra Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF) and Palladium Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. The event served as a platform to align policy intent, field realities, certification protocols, and market expectations as Maharashtra prepares to institutionalize a statewide natural farming framework.
Setting the Vision for Natural Farming
“Scaling Natural Farming requires more than intent it needs structural reform. Maharashtra can lead by enabling tailored agri-finance for NF, assured markets & prices, strong risk-mitigation, and policy validation from Animal Husbandry. Integrating NF in school & university curricula, ensuring seamless certification, converging existing schemes, and creating dedicated NF market zones on the lines of Shabari Corporation (TDD) will be pivotal for real, long-term impact” says Mr. Suraj Mandhare, Commissioner of Agriculture, Maharashtra. Natural farming is underperforming because evaluations are weak, gaps remain unaddressed, and there’s no structured supply chain or certification. Dr. Parashram Patil (Senior Advisor, MITRA) emphasises that closing these gaps and building a full ecosystem is critical for scalability especially in Maharashtra, where the opportunity for growth is immense.
The policy presentation placed special emphasis on:
1. Promote ecologically regenerative Natural Farming across suitable agro-climatic zones.
2. Ensure income enhancement through assured markets, value-chain strengthening, and
traceability.
3. Strengthen soil, water, and biodiversity health using evidence-based and clusterspecific
interventions.
4. Create a seamless NF certification and residue-testing regime.
5. Build institutional capacity—FPOs, SHGs, universities, BRCs—for delivery at scale.
6. Enable robust research, PoPs, and long-term evidence generation.
7. Facilitate youth participation, technology integration, and entrepreneurship in NF value
chains.
8. Establish strong governance, monitoring, and evaluation systems.
Ecosystem and Cluster Development
• Cluster-wise NF implementation across agro-ecological zones with priority to tribal
districts.
• Strengthening community-university linkages for PoPs, research trials, and technology
transfer.
• Development of dedicated NF market areas, processing hubs, and logistics support.
Collective Outcomes and Path Ahead
The discussion outputs were presented in a plenary session led by Dr. Parashram Patil, Senior Advisor, MITRA. “He emphasized that Maharashtra’s natural farming initiative is designed not only to improve the ecological footprint of agriculture but also to create premium opportunities for farmers in high-value markets. He highlighted the role of structured certification, institutional coherence, and strategic branding in positioning Maharashtra as a leader in sustainable, chemical-free agriculture.”
A Unified Commitment to Sustainable Agriculture
The consultation closed with a shared agreement to develop a state-wide implementation roadmap that will:
• Standardize and disseminate crop-specific natural farming PoPs
• Establish certification systems accessible to small and marginal farmers
• Strengthen FPO-led aggregation and market access
• Integrate natural farming into departmental schemes and district-level action plans
• Build a market identity for “Naturally Grown in Maharashtra” produce
As the state increasingly confronts climate-related challenges, the consultation marked an important step toward building an agriculture system grounded in soil health, ecological balance, and resilient farmer livelihoods.
